Saints duo to sweat it out on bet claims

GREAT BRITAIN internationals Sean Long and Martin Gleeson, the players at the centre of an alleged betting scandal, could play for St Helens in next Sunday's Powergen Challenge Cup semi-final against the Giants.

GREAT BRITAIN internationals Sean Long and Martin Gleeson, the players at the centre of an alleged betting scandal, could play for St Helens in next Sunday's Powergen Challenge Cup semi-final against the Giants.

Long and Gleeson, who face a Rugby Football League investigation into claims that they placed bets on Saints to lose by more than nine points at Bradford on Easter Monday, both missed their side's 40-4 Super League victory over Salford last night through injury.

But neither player has been suspended pending the investigation, which was begun yesterday by the League's disciplinary commissioner Norman Sarsfield, and St Helens coach Ian Millward confirmed that both men would be selected for the cup-tie against Huddersfield if they are fit.

Millward recalled 10 of the 11 players who sat out the Bradford fixture as Saints ended a turbulent week with a seven-try rout which condemned Salford to a seventh successive League defeat.

They romped into a 28-4 interval lead despite the driving rain, with skipper Paul Sculthorpe leading the way with a first-half hat trick of tries.

Young scrum-half Carl Forber made an outstanding debut with an impressive goal-kicking display and former Samoa rugby union World Cup forward Maurie Fa'asavalu scored his first try for the club.

"It was a good build-up for our Challenge Cup semi-final against Huddersfield," said Millward.